Grilled Salmon

Ingredients

1 Large Sockeye or Silver Salmon Fillet with skin on (it has to fit on your grill)
Bottle of Italian salad dressing
Gallon size or larger resealable bag
1 roll of heavy duty aluminum foil
1 1/2 Tablespoon of “Country Blend without salt” or another blend of herbs
Small chunks (about the size of 4 pieces of charcoal) of Alder (dry)

Instructions

Place the Salmon filet into the resealable plastic bag. Pour in the bottle of salad dressing into the bag. Seal bag and coat the fillet with the dressing. Place the bag in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour or up to a day, skin side up. While waiting for the marinade, make a tray from the aluminum foil for the fish. If you put a 1/2 inch lip on the tray you will avoid flare-ups. Do not puncture the bottom of the tray.
Start the charcoal grill with an electric starter, as there is nothing worse than the flavor of starter fluid on your salmon. Leave the charcoal in a mound and close down the air supply after the charcoal is started, as you will need to keep the heat fairly low. I have the luxury of having a grill with a thermometer and cook the fish at 225. It is hard to make the heat go down once it has risen above this level.
Remove the fillet from the bag, discard marinade, and place the salmon skin side down on the aluminum foil tray. Sprinkle the salmon fairly liberally with “Country Blend” or another blend of herbs.
Move the coals fairly level to expose the some of the lit charcoal. Place the dry alder wood right on the hottest part of the coals. Place the tray of fish on the grill and close the lid. Do not cover the fish or the alder smoke will not flavor the salmon properly. Keep the temperature in the grill at 225. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the fish. I usually cook it for about 30 minutes without opening the lid and then keep a close eye on it. I use a sight, touch, and jiggle method of determining whether it is done. The fish will turn a less translucent color, ooze a white liquid, and become just slightly firm when pressed in the thickest part. Do Not Overcook. The salmon should be moist.
Any white rice served with the Salmon is fine but I prefer Jasmine or Basmati as the flavor is quite nutty. A vegetable suggestion would be anything green, to complement the look of the salmon.